A pickwed cucumber (commonwy known as a pickwe in de United States and Canada or genericawwy as gherkins in de United Kingdom, Irewand, Austrawia, and New Zeawand) is a cucumber dat has been pickwed in a brine, vinegar, or oder sowution and weft to ferment for a period of time, by eider immersing de cucumbers in an acidic sowution or drough souring by wacto-fermentation.

Types

Gherkin

A gherkin is a variety of cucumber:[1] de West Indian or burr gherkin (Cucumis anguria), which produces a somewhat smawwer fruit dan de garden cucumber (Cucumis sativus).[2] Gherkins are cooked, eaten raw, or used as pickwes.[3] Gherkins are usuawwy picked when 4 to 8 cm (1 to 3 in) in wengf and pickwed in jars or cans wif vinegar (often fwavoured wif herbs, particuwarwy diww; hence, "diww pickwe") or brine. Sugar is awso a popuwar addition, in which case de wabew typicawwy shows "Sweet Gherkins".

Cornichon

Cornichons are tart French pickwes made from smaww gherkins pickwed in vinegar and tarragon. They traditionawwy accompany pâtés and cowd cuts.[4]

Brined pickwes

10f Annuaw New York City Internationaw Pickwe Day festivaw in 2010.

Brined pickwes are prepared using de traditionaw process of naturaw fermentation in a brine which makes dem grow sour. The brine concentration can vary between 20 to more dan 40 grams of sawt per witre of water (3.2–6.4 oz/imp gaw or 2.7–5.3 oz/US gaw). There is no vinegar used in de brine of naturawwy fermented pickwed cucumbers.

The fermentation process is entirewy dependent on de naturawwy occurring Lactobaciwwus bacteria dat normawwy cover de skin of a growing cucumber. Since dese are routinewy removed during commerciaw harvesting/packing processes, traditionawwy prepared pickwes can onwy be made from freshwy harvested cucumbers, unwess de bacteria are artificiawwy repwaced.[citation needed]

Typicawwy, smaww cucumbers are pwaced in a gwass or ceramic vessew or a wooden barrew, togeder wif a variety of spices. Among dose traditionawwy used in many recipes are garwic, horseradish, whowe diww stems wif umbews and green seeds, white mustard seeds, grape, oak, cherry, bwackcurrant and bay waurew weaves, dried awwspice fruits, and—most importantwy—sawt. The container is den fiwwed wif coowed, boiwed water and kept under a non-airtight cover (often cwof tied on wif string or a rubber band) for severaw weeks, depending on taste and externaw temperature. Traditionawwy stones, awso steriwized by boiwing, are pwaced on top of de cucumbers to keep dem under de water. The more sawt is added de more sour de cucumbers become.

Since dey are produced widout vinegar, a fiwm of bacteria forms on de top, but dis does not indicate dey have spoiwed, and de fiwm is simpwy removed. They do not, however, keep as wong as cucumbers pickwed wif vinegar, and usuawwy must be refrigerated. Some commerciaw manufacturers add vinegar as a preservative.

Kosher diww (US)

A "kosher" diww pickwe is not necessariwy kosher in de sense dat it has been prepared in accordance wif Jewish dietary waw. Rader, it is a pickwe made in de traditionaw manner of Jewish New York City pickwe makers, wif generous addition of garwic and diww to a naturaw sawt brine.[5][6][7]

In New York terminowogy, a "fuww-sour" kosher diww is one dat has fuwwy fermented, whiwe a "hawf-sour", given a shorter stay in de brine, is stiww crisp and bright green, uh-hah-hah-hah.[8] Ewsewhere, dese pickwes may sometimes be termed "owd" and "new" diwws.

Diww pickwes (not necessariwy described as "kosher") have been served in New York City since at weast 1899.[9]

Pickwed cucumber in gwass jar

Powish and German

The Powish- or German-stywe pickwed cucumber (Powish: ogórek kiszony/kwaszony; German: Sawzgurken), was devewoped in de nordern parts of centraw and eastern Europe. It has been exported worwdwide and is found in de cuisines of many countries, incwuding de United States, where it was introduced by immigrants. It is sour, simiwar to de kosher diww, but tends to be seasoned differentwy.[citation needed]

Traditionawwy it was preserved in wooden barrews, but now is sowd in gwass jars. A cucumber onwy pickwed for a few days is different in taste (wess sour) dan one pickwed for a wonger time and is cawwed ogórek małosowny, which witerawwy means "wow-sawt cucumber." This distinction is simiwar to de one between hawf- and fuww-sour types of kosher diwws (see above).

Anoder kind of pickwed cucumber, popuwar in Powand is ogórek konserwowy ("preserved cucumber") which is rader sweet and vinegary in taste, due to different composition of de preserving sowution, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Hungarian

In Hungary, whiwe reguwar vinegar-pickwed cucumbers (Hungarian: savanyú uborka) are made during most of de year, during de summer kovászos uborka ("weavened pickwes") are made widout de use of vinegar. Cucumbers are pwaced in a gwass vessew awong wif spices (usuawwy diww and garwic), water and sawt. Additionawwy, a swice or two of bread are pwaced at de top and bottom of de sowution, and de container is weft to sit in de sun for a few days so de yeast in de bread can hewp cause a fermentation process.[10]

Korean

Lime

Lime pickwes are soaked in pickwing wime (not to be confused wif de citrus fruit) rader dan in a sawt brine.[11] This is done more to enhance texture (by making dem crisper) rader dan as a preservative. The wime is den rinsed off de pickwes. Vinegar and sugar are often added after de 24-hour soak in wime, awong wif pickwing spices.

Bread and butter

A jar of bread-and-butter pickwes

Bread-and-butter pickwes are a marinated pickwe produced wif swiced cucumbers in a sowution of vinegar, sugar and spices which may be eider be processed by canning or simpwy chiwwed as refrigerator pickwes. The origin of de name and de spread of deir popuwarity in de United States is attributed to Omar and Cora Fanning, a pair of Iwwinois cucumber farmers who started sewwing sweet and sour pickwes in de 1920s and fiwed for de trademark "Fanning's Bread and Butter Pickwes" in 1923 (dough de recipe and simiwar ones are probabwy much owder).[12] The story attached to de name is dat de Fannings survived rough years by making de pickwes wif deir surpwus of undersized cucumbers and bartering dem wif deir grocer for stapwes such as bread and butter.[13]

Cinnamon pickwe

Bright red, cinnamon-fwavored pickwes produced by a muwtiday process are sometimes seen as a Christmas treat.[14] They are somewhat simiwar to canned red cinnamon appwe rings in cowor and texture.

Danish cucumber sawad (agurkesawat) is simiwar, but de cucumbers are not pressed and de brine doesn't have parswey. The cucumber sawad accompanies meat dishes, especiawwy a roasted chicken dish (gammewdags kywwing med agurkesawat), and is used on Danish hot dogs.

There are awso "wong time pickwes", which caww for some monds of coow storing in order to be edibwe. In soudern Sweden and Denmark a sowution of water, miwd acidic vinegar (not made of wine and as cwear as water), sugar and de top of diww pwants, known as krondiww (Engwish: crown diww) and a wittwe sawt. In Sweden dis is known as "Ättiksgurka" (Engwish: vinegar cucumber) and has a crispy sweet and sour taste. Furder norf in Sweden some of de acidic vinegar and aww de sugar are repwaced wif more sawt. This is known as "sawtgurka". Bof "ättiksgurka" and "sawtgurka" are used as a minor part of certain dishes.

Koow-Aid pickwes

Koow-Aid pickwes or "koowickwes", enjoyed by chiwdren in parts of de Soudern United States,[15] are created by soaking diww pickwes in a mixture of Koow-Aid and pickwe brine.

Nutrition

Like pickwed vegetabwes such as sauerkraut, sour pickwed cucumbers (technicawwy a fruit) are wow in cawories. They awso contain a moderate amount of vitamin K, specificawwy in de form of K1. 30-gram sour pickwed cucumber offers 12–16 µg, or approximatewy 15–20%, of de Recommended Daiwy Awwowance of vitamin K. It awso offers 3 kiwocawories (13 kJ), most of which come from carbohydrate.[16] However, most sour pickwed cucumbers are awso high in sodium; one pickwed cucumber can contain 350–500 mg, or 15–20% of de American recommended daiwy wimit of 2400 mg.[17]

Pickwes are being researched for deir abiwity to act as vegetabwes wif a high probiotic content. Probiotics are typicawwy associated wif dairy products, but wactobaciwwi species such as L. pwantarum and L. brevis have been shown to add to de nutritionaw vawue of pickwes.[19]

Serving

A breaded pickwe

Fried pickwes

In de United States, pickwes are often served as a side dish accompanying meaws. This often takes de form of a "pickwe spear", which is a pickwed cucumber cut wengf-wise into qwarters or sixds. Pickwes may be used as a condiment on a hamburger or oder sandwich (usuawwy in swice form), or on a sausage or hot dog in chopped form as pickwe rewish.

Soured cucumbers are commonwy used in a variety of dishes—for exampwe, pickwe-stuffed meatwoaf,[20] potato sawad or chicken sawad—or consumed awone as an appetizer.

Pickwes are sometimes served awone as festivaw foods, often on a stick. This is awso done in Japan, where it is referred to as "stick pickwe" (一本漬,ippon-tsuke).

Diww pickwes can be fried, typicawwy deep-fried wif a breading or batter surrounding de spear or swice. This is a popuwar dish in de Soudern US, and a rising trend ewsewhere in de US.[21]

In Russia and Ukraine, pickwes are used in rassownik: a traditionaw soup made from pickwed cucumbers, pearw barwey, pork or beef kidneys, and various herbs. The dish is known to have existed as far back as de 15f century, when it was cawwed kawya.

Etymowogy

The term pickwe is derived from de Dutch word pekew, meaning brine.[22] In de United States and Canada, de word pickwe awone awmost awways refers to a pickwed cucumber (oder types of pickwes wiww be described as "pickwed onion", "pickwed beets", etc.). In de UK pickwe generawwy refers to pwoughman's pickwe made from various vegetabwes, such as Branston pickwe, traditionawwy served wif a pwoughman's wunch.